Ebook: Black April: the fall of South Vietnam, 1973-1975

The defeat of South Vietnam was arguably America's worst foreign policy disaster of the 20th Century. Yet a complete understanding of the endgame?from the 27 January 1973 signing of the Paris Peace Accords to South Vietnam's surrender on 30 April 1975?has eluded us. Black April addresses that deficit. A culmination of exhaustive research in three distinct areas: primary source documents from American archives, North Vietnamese publications containing primary and secondary source material, and dozens of articles and numerous interviews with key South Vietnamese participants,;"The U.S. will react vigorously" : signing the Paris Peace Accords -- "South Vietnam will have both peace and war": the collapse of the accords -- "Enough to make the angels weep" : trading ammunition for blood -- "A rainy season like no other" : the war resumes -- "Even the gods weep for Phuoc Long" : the beginning of the end -- "How can the free world abandon us?" : waiting for the next attack -- "Good-bye for now, Ban Me Thuot" : beginning the 1975 offensive -- "Light at the top, heavy at the bottom" : decisions that destroyed a nation -- "The road of blood and tears" : the retreat from the highlands -- "Chaos and disintegration" : surrounding Saigon -- "How can I abandon this rocky soil?" : fighting to save Hue -- "The hours of hell" : the fall of I Corps -- "The sea is our only hope" : the battle for the coastal cities -- "Lightning speed, daring, surprise, certain victory" : the PAVN surrounds Saigon -- "Hold fast the remaining land" : the South Vietnamese fight back -- "No matter what happens, do not stop your attack!" : capturing Phan Rang -- "I will knock them down!" : the ARVN hold at Xuan Loc -- "Do not come home until victory is won": the fall of Saigon.